Students from the Gonzaga University School of Law recently attended a luncheon at which attorney Bill Gates, Sr., was the keynote speaker.

They were invited guests at the monthly Spokane City Forum Speaker Series at the luncheon held Wednesday, Oct., 15.

Mr. Gates, a prominent Seattle attorney, spoke on the topic of “Building Public Will for High Quality Education in America.”

He has served as trustee, officer, and volunteer for more than two dozen Northwest organizations, including the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and King County United Way.

Mr. Gates is a strong advocate for high-quality public education, chairing the Seattle Public School Levy Campaign in 1971, and serving as a member of the University of Washington Board of Regents since 1997. He currently serves with Gov. Christine Gregoire as co-chair of the board of Thrive by Five Washington, the state’s public-private partnership for early learning.

He has served as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and was co-founder of the Initiative for Global Development.

In his speech, Mr. Gates drew on his expertise from these endeavors to discuss the measures the nation and its community must implement to enhance our system of public education. Unless reforms are made, he said, the United States will lose its position as a world leader.

He illustrated his topic with stories about schools that are succeeding in their efforts to educate leaders, and offered advice on what Spokane must do to promote similar successes.

“As a public service-oriented institution, Gonzaga Law School is committed to engaging students in public discourse regarding important policy issues,” said Asst. Dean of Students John Sklut.

Following the Spokane City Forum event, Mr. Gates spoke to Gonzaga students as part of Gonzaga University’s Comprehensive Leadership Program.